Take-off device for dried long food-paste products



M. DANlOTTl 3,075,628

Jan. 29, 1963 TAKE-OFF DEVICE FOR DRIED LONG FOOD-PASTE 'PRODUCTS 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 28, 1960 M. DANIOTTI Jan. 29, 1963 TAKE-OFF DEVICE FOR DRIED LONG FOOD-PASTE PRODUCTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 28, 1960 United States Patent 3,075,628 TAKE-OFF DEVICE FOR DRIED LONG FOOD-PASTE PRGDUCTS Mario Daniotti, Niederuzwil, Switzerland, assignor to Gebrueder Buehler, Uzwii, Switzerland, a Swiss firm Filed Oct. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 65,771 Claims priority, application Switzerland Oct. 28, 1959 Claims. (Cl. 198-40) Many types of mechanisms are known for taking off long dried food-paste articles, such a spaghetti and macaroni, from their carrier rods on which they are strung for drying. -In a known type of such mechanisms, the carrier rods hung with long food-paste goods are taken from the drier-outlet end and delivered to conveyor chains which guide the rod ends in slotted tracks of the lateral walls of the mechanism so that the depending end portions of the long goods first are set down against a stop and the goods then are deposited on a table top. In this process, the carrier rods are automatically moved out of, or disengaged from the long goods of which the open, i.e. non-looped ends are supported; and the rods then are deposited in a magazine, while the long goods remaining on the table top are bundled by hand and made ready for packing.

Although mechanisms of this type as a rule furnish unobjectionable goods, it still may happen that the rods themselves are so intimately plastered or gummed up with the looped ends of a number of the goods that the rods do not readily loosen but fiex owing to their elasticity until they are flexed to such an extent that they are suddenly set free and sprung loose away from the goods whereby they may break a number of the goods. At least, there is a possibility that such loosened rods disorganize or throw into disorder the properly and neatly deposited goods. As the rods as a rule are very slender, it is particularly dangerous when they are pasted up with goods near their centers.

It therefore is an aim of the invention to provide a mechanism which also excludes the last-mentioned possibility so as to ensure always a reliable operation thereof. The present invention relates to an improved takeof]? mechanism for dried long food-paste articles, comprising a conveyor means for the outer ends of the carrier rods hung with said goods and a retaining means for the open ends of the goods to permit stripping them from the carrier rods which are transferred further by said conveyor means. Such known take-01f mechanism is characterized, as disclosed by the invention, by an additional thrust or abutment means acting on the carrier rods intermediate of their ends, and which is disposed at the stripping point of the long goods.

The mechanism disclosed herein is entirely independent and movable on casters but may be rigidly and operatively connected to the final drier, and independently transfers the carrier rods hung with long goods on to its own conveyor chains.

One form of the invention is schematically shown, by way of example, in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view, seen from the service side; FIG. 2 shows a section on the line IIII of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sideview, on a larger scale, of the additional thrust means for the carrier rods hung with long goods at the point of the beginning detachement from said goods; and FIG. 4 shows the front view of the thrust means shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the take-off mechanism comprises two sidewalls 1 and 2, inside of which are arranged in protected relation endless conveyor chains 4 that are supported by track means 3. The two conveyor chains 4 are synchronously driven by a chain 5 from a drive unit 6 and a shaft 7, said unit 6 being disposed on two crossbraces 8. The two sidewalls 1, 2 are interconnected by a table top 9 from which projects a stop 10 against which the open ends of the goods 11 abut as they are fed toward the stop 10. On the underside of table top 9 is provided a drawer 12 which serves for receiving broken goods 11 from table top 9. As shown in FIG. 2, table top 9 has a slot 13 through which the broken goods can enter drawer 12. The entire apparatus is carried on four legs 14 of which the forked ends carry casters 15 for readily moving about the apparatus. Readily detachable cover plates 16 permit to move the drawer 12 to both sides.

As further shown in FIG. 2, each sidewall 1, 2 comprises a slotted sidetrack 17 in which the ends of the carrier rods 18 are guided by the conveyor chains 4 that are supported by the track means 3. The tracks 17 at their ends adjacent the drier discharge end comprise channels 19 through which the carrier rods 18, hung with the long goods, are moved towards the conveyor chains 4 which seize the rods 18 in known rhanner and move same through the tracks 17. The latter first rise sharply and then drop again. The empty carrier rods 18 are discharged from the tracks 17 over the stop 10, drop on a guide apron 20 and slide along the same into labyrinth-like channels 21 in which their velocity is decreased and in which they are stored.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the take-off device disclosed by the present invention carries on its service end a shaft 22 which extends across the entire width of the take-off apparatus, is secured against axial movement and is arranged in bearings 23 of the sidewalls 1, 2. In the immediate vicinity of the latter and still in operative conneciton with the ends of the carrier rods 18, bell cranks 24 are rigidly secured to shaft 22. Bell cranks 24 have lower arms engaged by springs 25, 26 tending to turn the cranks in clockwise direction.

Preferably in the center of shaft 22 (in the case of particularly long carrier rods 18 also at a plurality of uniformly spaced points) shaft 22 carries a further upstanding arm 27, having at one side and at the end adjacent to carrier rod 18 a wedge-like tip 28 while its other side bears against a roll 29 of elastically yielding material. Roll 29 is arranged on a crossbar 30 and covered by a protective cap 32.

The mode of operation of the device disclosed by the present invention is as follows:

The carrier rods 18, which are hung with long goods and have been taken by means known per se from the associated drier, are moved through the channel 19 to the conveyor chains 4 arranged in the sidewalls 1, 2 and which are driven by chain 5 from drive assembly 6. The conveyor chains 4 supported in the slotted tracks 3 then guide, in a manner known per se, the rods 18 through the slotted tracks 17 of the sidewalls 1, 2 first vertically upwards and then slopingly downwards, the free ends of the long goods, i.e. the non-looped ends, hitting the curved apron 20, being dragged over same and then being supported on the stop 10 of table 9, and the looped ends of the goods commencing to incline towards the service end of the take-off apparatus. In the vicinity of said service end, at point 31, the rods 18 start the movement during which they become disengaged from the goods 11 of which the open ends are propped against stop 10 of table 9.

As described before, there has been a risk that the rods 18 become pasted to the closed ends of the long goods and, therefore, detach themselves only With diificulty therefrom, breaking some of the goods, if the long slender rods could flex and if they were not supported at least at their centers during the detaching process.

The present invention aims to eliminate such risk.

In the vicinity of point 31, therefore, the rods 18 slide over the wedge-like tip 28 of arm 27 which is fixed to shaft 22, said tip owing to its knife-edge formation projecting between the dried goods without substantially damaging same. As arm 27 on its rearside is propped against roll 29 of yielding material, arm 27 first can yield downwardly until rod 18 has passed the tip of wedge 28, whereupon the latter again springs upwardly, hooks-in behind rod 18 and prevents a deviation thereof. At this moment, the ends of the carrier rods 18 guided in the conveyor chains 4 also reach the tips of the other bell-cranks 24 fixed to shaft 22 so that the rod 18 now is supported at a plurality of points, preferably at its ends and in the center. By means of the springs 25, 26 which engage the cranked arms of the bell-cranks 24, it is possible to take along this additional thrust device for a certain way in the further movement of the conveyor chains 4 until the rod 18 which now is being guided rigidly, has detached itself from the closed ends of the goods and the latter are free. As soon as this is the case, the ends of the rod 18 slide over the tips of the bell cranks 24, and the springs 25, 26 pull the entire thrust device 2229 into its initial position so as to be ready for taking up the next following carrier rod 18.

The empty rod 18 then moves through the goods of which one leg is resiliently raised until the rod has reached the open end thereof, whereupon said leg snaps back and the goods remain behind on table 9 in proper alinement to be manually grasped and bundled.

As soon as the carrier rod, now freed from the em-- bracemen-t by the dried long goods 11, has reached the top edge of stop 10, it becomes detached from the driving connection of the conveyor chains 4 and slides over the apron 20 into the rod magazine 21 where it first is stored together with the other rods and then is taken out for further use.

Although the device disclosed by the present invention for taking off dried long goods, constitutes an entirely independent and mobile assembly, it is also possible to rigidly connect the device to an appropriate drier, to provide a fully automatic plant which feeds the carrier rods of the drier, hung with dried long goods, to the conveyor chains 4 of the take-off device, comprising at point 31 an additional thrust device which supports the rods 18 preferably in the center thereof and rigidly gpides them until they have become positively detached from the closed ends of the goods alined thereon, whereby a breakage of the goods is positively prevented.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an arrangement for taking otf elongated dried food paste goods such as spaghetti or the like from carrier rods on which said elongated goods are suspended in straddling position with a central portion of said goods engaging said rods and opposite end portions of said goods hanging downwardly substantially parallel to each other from said rods, in combination, stop means for engaging the free ends of said goods; conveying means engaging said rods at spaced engaging portions thereof for positively moving said rods successively 1n a drrection toward said stop means while the free ends of the goods suspended on the respective rods are held by said stop means to disengage thereby said central portions of said goods from said rods, whereby, when said central portions stick to said rods, portions of the latter distant from said engaging portions will tend to flex in a direction opposite to said moving direction; and abutment means for engaging each rod during its movement toward said stop means on the side of the rod facing away from said stop means and spaced from said engaging portions to prevent flexing of the rod.

2. In an arrangement for taking off elongated dried food paste goods such as spaghetti or the like from carrier rods on which said elongated goods are suspended in straddling position with a central portion of said goods engaging said rods and opposite end portions of said goods hanging downwardly substantially parallel to each other from said rods, in combination, stop means for engaging the free ends of said goods; conveying means engaging said rods at spaced engaging portions thereof for positively moving said rods successively in a direction toward said stop means while the free ends of the goods suspended on the respective rods are held by said stop means to disengage thereby said central portions of said goods from said rods, whereby, when said central portions stick to said rods, portions of the latter distant from said engaging portions will tend to flex in a direction opposite to said moving direction; abutment means for engaging each rod during its movement toward said stop means on the side of the rod facing away from said stop means and spaced from said engaging portions to prevent flexing of the rod; and drive means engaged by each rod during its movement toward said stop means and being operatively connected to said abutment means for keeping said abutment means in engagement with said rod during the movement thereof toward said stop means after the free ends of the goods suspended on said rod have engaged said stop means.

3. In an arrangement for taking off elongated dried food paste goods such as spaghetti or the like from carrier rods on which said elongated goods are suspended in straddling position with a central portion of said goods engaging said rods and opposite end portions of said goods hanging downwardly substantially parallel to each other from said rods, in combination, stop means for engaging the free ends of said goods; conveying means engaging said rods at spaced engaging portions thereof for positively moving said rods successively in a direction toward said stop means while the free ends of the goods suspended on the respective rods are held by said stop means to disengage thereby said central portions of said goods from said rods, whereby, when said central portions stick to said rods, portions of the latter distant from said engaging portions will tend to flex in a direction opposite to said moving direction; abutment means for engaging each rod during its movement toward said stop means ori the side of the rod facing away from said stop means and spaced from said engaging portions to prevent flexing of the rod; drive means engaged by each rod during its movement toward said stop means and being operatively connected to said abutment means for keeping said abutment means in engagement with said rod during the movement thereof toward said stop means after the free ends of the goods suspended on said rod have engaged said stop means, said drive means being movable by said rods from an engaging position in which each rod during the movement thereof toward said stop means engages said drive means and releasing position in which said drive means is disengaged from said rod; and means operatively connected to said drive means for moving the same from said releasing position back to said engaging position after a rod during its movement toward said stop means has been released from said drive means so that the drive means will be ready to be engaged by the next rod moved by said conveying means toward said stop means.

4. In an arrangement for taking off elongated dried food paste goods such as spaghetti or the like from carrier rods on which said elongated goods are suspended in straddling position with a central portion of said goods engaging said rods and opposite end portions of said goods hanging downwardly substantially parallel to each other from said rods, in combination, a support; stop means mounted on said support for engaging the free ends of said goods; conveying means mounted on said support for engaging said rods in the region of the outer ends thereof and for positively moving said rods spaced from and substantially parallel to each other in a direction toward said stop means while the free ends of the goods suspended on the respective rods are held by said stop means to disengage thereby said central portions of said goods from said rods, whereby, when said central portions stick to said rods, portions of the latter distant from said engaging portions will tend to flex in a direction opposite to said moving direction; a shaft turnably mounted on said support means substantially parallel to said rods; a pair of drive levers fixed to said shaft at spaced portions thereof and having at the free ends thereof engaging faces adapted to respectively engage each rod during the movement thereof toward said stop means in the region of the rod ends and at the side thereof facing said stop means; at least one abutment lever fixed to said shaft intermediate said drive levers and having an abutment face substantially parallel to and spaced in direction transverse to the rod axis from said engaging faces a distance substantially equal to the diameter of said rods and engaging each rod during engagement thereof with said engaging faces of said drive levers at the side of said rod facing away from said stop means, said levers being turnable between an engaging position in which said faces thereof extend transverse to the direction of movement of said rods and a releasing position in which said faces extend substantially parallel to said direction of movement and said levers being turned from said engaging position to said releasing position by engagement of said engaging faces with each rod during its movement toward said stop means; spring means operatively connected to one of said levers for returning said levers from said releasing to said engaging position after one rod moving toward said stop means becomes disengaged from said faces; and second stop means engaging one of said levers in said engaging position to limit the return movement of said levers.

5. An arrangement as defined in claim 4 in which said second stop means is made from elastically compressible material.

Waldron ....t July 21, 1885 Suydam Apr. 12, 1898 

1. IN AN ARRANGEMENT FOR TAKING OFF ELONGATED DRIED FOOD PASTE GOODS SUCH AS SPAGHETTI OR THE LIKE FROM CARRIER RODS ON WHICH SAID ELONGATED GOODS ARE SUSPENDED IN STRADDLING POSITION WITH A CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID GOODS ENGAGING SAID RODS AND OPPOSITE END PORTIOS OF SAID GOODS HANGING DOWNWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLE TO EACH OTHER FROM SAID RODS, IN COMBINATION, STOP MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE FREE ENDS OF SAID GOODS; CONVEYING MEANS ENGAGING SAID RODS AT SPACED ENGAGING PORTIONS THEREOF FOR POSITIVELY MOVING SAID RODS SUCCESSIVELY IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID STOP MEANS WHILE THE FREE ENDS OF THE GOODS SUSPENDED ON THE RESPECTIVE RODS ARE HELD BY SAID STOP MEANS TO DISENGAGE THEREBY SAID CENTRAL PORTIONS OF SAID GOODS FROM SAID RODS, WHEREBY, WHEN SAID CENTRAL PORTIONS STICK TO SAID RODS, PORTIONS OF THE LATTER DISTANT FROM SAID ENGAGING PORTIONS WILL TEND TO FLEX IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID MOVING DIRECTION; AND ABUTMENT MEANS FOR ENGAGING EACH ROD DURING ITS MOVEMENT TOWARD SAID STOP MEANS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROD FACING AWAY FROM SAID STOP MEANS AND SPACED FROM SAID ENGAGING PORTIONS TO PREVENT FLEXING OF THE ROD. 